No Prince Charming for Me Please!
by amieken
Summary: Princess Elizabeth is not your normal princess. She doesn't need a "big, strong man" to save her. Unfortunately, this lands her at Prince Charming's castle. Can she resist his wiles, or are her days as an independent woman numbered?
1. Prince Charming's Castle?

So, I've always heard about the great princesses- Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty- but I always thought they were a bit silly. I mean, they couldn't get themselves out of their predicaments, they needed big strong men to help them out. I've never understood this, although my mother tells me that I need to. It isn't my place to save myself, she says, because if all princesses saved themselves, what would the princes do? I once told her that I didn't care what the princes did, because I wasn't interested in princes. That was the year my parents sent me to Prince Charles' castle. I suppose I should have expected it. When princesses start talking about not needing princes her parents will naturally be concerned. Too bad I didn't figure this out before I was sent off that year.

I've always been a bit . . . unorthodox for a princess. My governesses tried to fill my head with all sorts of silly thoughts- boys, gowns, sewing, boys, dancing, beauty tips, boys. I thought it was all dreadfully dull. Of course I learned it. I had to learn it! I even ended up excelling at most of it. My theory is that it might come in handy one day, to be able to act the perfect young lady.Plus, I can make great embroidered pillows.But my real joy came when I convinced others to teach me things that I didn't need to know. I made the cook teach me how to cook, the knights taught me how to fight, the magician taught me how to read Latin and cast basic spells, and so forth. My parents weren't happy with any of this, but there wasn't much they could do to stop me. So they sent me to Prince Charles' castle in hopes of curing my "hoydenish" ways. I think it really just made me worse.

My parents told me I would be leaving a week before I actually left. I suppose they figured if they had told me sooner they would have heard more complaints. Since I had figured out long ago that when they had that look on their faces there was no dissuading them, I simply accepted my fate, though I _hoped_ there would be a chance to escape from going. Alas it was not so, and so there I was, about to arrive at the castle of the Charmings. Yes, you heard me right, the Charmings. Prince Charles' great-grandmother was none other than Cinderella herself. My maid had awoken me early to fix my auburn hair in a perfect coil on my head, and to dress me in a green gown that she swore brought out the color of my eyes. I personally didn't notice anything of the sort when I looked in the mirror, but then, I was still half wishing I was in bed again. The ride had been a smooth one, very dull and boring. I had perked up a bit as we got closer to our destination, until I realized that I would have to meet with Prince Charles soon.

If there was ever a prince that could drive a woman with any kind of sense up the wall, it was Prince Charles. I had met him a couple times at various international functions, but happily had only actually danced with him once. Several of my friends assured me that he was quite handsome, and charming too, but I didn't believe a word of it. He had that whole hero-complex. All princesses need to be saved. From what? Who knows, but he would be sure to save them. I just couldn't stand him. So you can imagine how disconcerted I was to arrive at his castle and have him waiting outside for me with his parents. I exited the carriage with the help of one of my coachmen, and curtsied before the King and Queen.

"Ah, Elizabeth, its so splendid that you could come visit us this summer," Queen Vicky gushed.

"Yes, Princess Elizabeth, we are excited to see you again. Its been, what, three years since we last saw you? You have grown into a beautiful young woman." King Jerom added.

"Well, I'm pleased to be here, your majesties," I replied, the smile on my face only slightly forced. "I am so glad that you invited me."

I could hear the carriage moving off, presumably towards the back of the palace where it would be easier to unload. I glanced over at Prince Charles. He was indeed handsome. His dark hair was fashionably short, and his grey eyes were focused on something in the distance. I wondered if he even cared that I had come to spend the summer. Not that I cared if he cared. I cleared my throat, trying to get his attention. It was successful, and he blushed a deep red that I swear just made him more attractive. I had to remind myself that he was a snobbish, arrogant, princess-saving brat.

"I'm so sorry Princess Elizabeth. I'm afraid I'm a bit distracted today. I'm happy you're here as well. I dare say it will make things more interesting," he said with a smile.

"Its quite alright, your Highness," I answered in my loftiest tones. "Thank you for your kind welcome." With that I followed his parents into the castle, and up the stairs towards my room with out a backward glance.


	2. The Challenge

The afternoon passed in a blur, all that unpacking; it was very trying. I was quite exhausted from my trip, and did not dine with the family, but rather took dinner in my room. Or at least that's what I told my maid to tell the family. I crept out of my room while they were at dinner and took a stroll around the grounds. I knew that I would never be able to come up with such a good excuse to miss dinner again, and so I took advantage of it. As a bonus, I wouldn't have to see Prince Charles again until morning. Sometimes I am just _so_ clever.

The grounds were obviously well cared for. I wonder who their gardener was? I was especially overwhelmed by the gardens. I have rarely had a chance to see such beautiful flowers. And it looked like they even had a maze of hedges. Our gardens at home were nothing compared to this. Father was more concerned with his hunting, well, that and his horses. Of course, they were usually hunting horses. The horses at home weren't rivaled by anything the other kingdoms produced, though, that was for sure.

I must have lost track of time. I was staring at a beautiful display of flowers around a statue of Cinderella trying on her glass slipper when I backed up into something quite solid, and very warm. I whirled around, my face red with embarrassment, certain that I had just knocked into some poor servant. When I saw who it was, I think I almost swallowed my tongue.

"Your Highness," I managed to splutter out. "Please, forgive me. I did not realize that you were behind me."

"It's quite all right," He replied, an easy smile on his face. "I meant to move out of the way, I just . . . well, I forgot to move as I tried to figure out why you are here in the garden when you didn't come to dinner because you were exhausted."

"Yes, you have every right to wonder," I stalled, trying to think of a good excuse to be here. "I . . . well I seem to have developed a bit of a headache, and I was hoping that fresh air would help to get rid of it."

"And has it helped at all?" he asked, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, I do believe it has entirely cured my headache," I replied uneasily. The prince seemed far too amused that I was out here. "Is dinner over already? I thought it would have still been going."

"I ducked out early," Prince Charles said. "I'm afraid that I found myself with a bit of a headache as well, and I sought the same remedy that you have. It appears to work remarkably well, for my head doesn't hurt at all anymore. Or perhaps it is just that I have escaped the scrutiny of my parents." I looked up at him in surprise at that last comment.

"Scrutiny of your parents? What do you mean?" I asked, bewildered.

"It is just that they expect me to be the perfect prince all the time. It is very wearing to always be watched. Haven't your parents ever done the same to you?"

"Well, no I can't say that they have," I replied slowly. "They seem to employ a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy where I'm concerned. Why do you think they sent me here?" I added.

"If only my parents were like that," He moaned. "Instead they want to know what I'm doing all the time."

We sat there for a few minutes in a not _too_ awkward silence. I studied the way the wind blew through his hair. It was really kind of poetic. Again I found myself having to remind myself that he was a good for nothing prince. Or was he? He could be simply misunderstood. I decided to find out.

"What is your philosophy for saving princesses?" I asked. If he said anything about how all princesses needed to be saved, I think I would have knocked him out right then and there.

"Why? Are you thinking of getting into trouble so I can come save you?" He asked, a smirk covering his face.

"No, of course not! I don't need to be rescued, thank you very much. I just wanted to know if you like saving princesses, or if you prefer to read a good book, or something." I replied hotly.

"Well, I haven't saved a princess yet, so I couldn't tell you for sure, but I assume that I would enjoy saving princesses," He said, a frown on his face. Did it hurt his brain to think so hard? "Hopefully, one day I'll save the princess who'll become my queen," he added, with, was that a hopeful glance in my direction? I shuddered.

"Don't worry about me, your highness. I don't need a rescuer. I will rescue myself from any pitfalls life may throw at me," I responded.

"And how are you going to do that?" Prince Charles asked, a challenge clearly issued by the look on his face.

"The way I handle most problems, I'll fight my way out of them!"

"Fight? What do you know of fighting? I'll bet you've never even held a sword." I turned red again, only this time it was with anger instead of embarrassment.

"Well, that would be one bet you would lose," I replied, trying to remain in control of myself. "I probably fight better than you do."

"I really doubt that," Prince Charles replied flippantly.

"Well then, I'll prove it to you, your highness. I challenge you to a duel, tomorrow at two o'clock." I desperately wanted to choke the arrogance out of this prince.

"Fine," he replied, almost yelling. "And don't call me your highness. I prefer Charles!"

"I'll call you whatever I darn well please," I replied, and then stalked off, my fists clenched, and my head truly pounding now from holding back the rage I felt inside of me. I couldn't wait until tomorrow. The prince had no idea what was going to hit him.


	3. The Duel

The next morning I couldn't believe what I had done. Challenging the prince to a duel? That was stupid! If I beat him, he would hate me forever, and then the rest of my time here would be hell. But then, if I let him beat me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I'm afraid I'm very competitive. There was nothing I could do, however. I had challenged him, and I couldn't, no, I _wouldn't_ go back on it now. The weather was quite nice for a fight. It was warm, but not too warm. The sky was cloudy, but it didn't look like rain. You just couldn't see the sun.

Around 1:30 I made my way outside, and found the training grounds. I was surprised to find it rather empty. Of course, I was also relieved, for I had changed into pants and a loose fitting shirt to fight in, and I didn't want to have to explain my clothing choice to a bunch of shocked soldiers. I quickly found a spare sword, and started warming up. It felt good to go through the motions of fighting. My muscles protested at the movements when I first began, but soon they were ready for anything. I was working on a turning slash when I caught sight of Prince Charles.

His mouth was hanging open, although I don't think he realized it. He eyed me up and down and up again, trying, I do believe, to figure out what I was wearing.

"It's called pants and a shirt, your highness," I said after a few minutes of this, rolling my eyes. Honestly, it's not like he hadn't seen them on people before. Well, maybe not on a girl. I smiled evilly at that last thought. The prince shook himself out of his reverie.

"I know they're pants and a shirt, but why are _you_ wearing them?" he asked bewildered.

"Well, it's a lot harder to fight in a skirt," I replied laughingly. "Now, come on, it's time to see what you can do." I quickly took a beginning stance, waiting for the prince to decide to join me. He shook his head, and, after a few stretches, took his beginning stance as well.

"Let's start," he said quietly, but very intensely. I could see that he would be crushed when I beat him. Of course, he didn't know that I would win yet. He didn't know that I had never lost, but I would soon fill him in. I decided to start attacking first, not hard, just enough to put him on his toes, to show that I wasn't just talk.

"Impressive," he said.

"Thank you," I replied, pressing my attack on. I can't tell you a lot of what happened. Once I start fighting, I get lost in the movement, the dance-like quality of slashing and blocking. But I can tell you, that somewhere in the middle of the fight, I started losing, badly. I had never fought anyone as good as the prince. He was incredible. Lightening fast reflexes, I couldn't touch him with my sword. I think towards the end, he was just playing with me. I finally ended up pinned against the ground with his sword tip pressed to my neck.

"I win," he said, ending the match.

"So you do," I tiredly replied. I caught my breath and then sat up. "I have never fought your equal," I said in amazement. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Well, I started learning from the soldiers here, but once, I was a student of Puss in Boots and he taught me much of what I know," the prince replied casually, offering a hand to help me up. I ignored the hand and got up on my own. Didn't he understand yet that I didn't need, or want, his help.

"Wow, I've always wanted to meet Puss in Boots, but my parents wouldn't let me. Actually, I was lucky they let me learn swordplay at all," I said enviously.

"Well, you're not bad. You really had me working to win." I grinned, even though I knew that wasn't _really_ true. If he had learned from the legendary Puss in Boots, I had never had a chance to begin with. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told me you could fight," the prince said, his eyes on the ground.

"It's alright," I said, feeling a bit better. "You've probably never met a princess who could, so I can understand being skeptical. But next time, when I say I can do something, just believe me."

"Sure. You know, we should do this again sometime. It's pretty fun."

"I suppose we could," I said, pretending to be reluctant. Inside I was screaming, "Yes! I can continue sword fighting! Ha ha, take that Mom and Dad!" Maybe this visit wouldn't be so bad after all. As long as Prince Charles didn't get too condescending.

"I could even teach you a few new moves," Prince Charles said with a smile. I smiled back at him. He really was quite nice . . . and handsome. Especially when he smiled . . . wait, I didn't just say that. I _refuse_ to fall into that trap. He was still the same guy he was yesterday. Evil, snobbish, princess-saving, better-than-you prince! Well, maybe not as snobbish as I thought, but still the rest of it!

"I should be going, your highness. I shall see you later," I said quickly and rushed away. This atmosphere was going to my head. He impressed me as a swordsman. That was all, really! But I couldn't stay around him after he had just bested me. I would start turning into some worshipful idiot, and that would be bad. Then he might lump me into the same category as the other silly princesses, and that would be worse. You understand, right?

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I like knowing people are actually reading what I write. And it makes me more likely to update relatively quickly. Thank you _so_ much!


	4. Breakfast

I awoke the next morning with a few sore muscles. I must have put more effort into fighting Prince Charles than I thought. I worked on stretching out my muscles and making them feel a little better as Lucy, my maid, bustled about the room, deciding everything about how I would look today. I descended the stairs a short time later in a navy blue dress with a high waistline, and braided hair. I had to ask one of the chambermaids how to get to the dining hall. For some reason I could never remember exactly how to get around this castle. I was just starting on my way to the hall after asking directions when I heard a voice call after me, "Princess Elizabeth! Wait a moment, and I shall escort you to the dining hall."

I winced inwardly and turned around with a completely fake smile. "Your highness, I'm so delighted. I'm afraid I just can't remember how to get around yet." I took the arm that Prince Charles offered me, and we continued on our way. When we entered the dining hall his parents seemed a little too happy to see us come in together.

"Did you sleep well Princess Elizabeth?" Queen Vicky asked.

"Oh, yes. Perfectly well," I responded, my smile becoming a little more genuine. Queen Vicky really couldn't help the fact that her son had turned out like he had. She was a very good and kind person-and queen. There were a few minutes of silence as we all savored our breakfasts.

"So do you have any plans for today?" King Jerom asked me, not noticing that his beard had fallen into his breakfast.

I stifled my laughter and replied, "I thought I would go riding this morning. The sun is shining, and this is likely to be one of the last really nice warm days before winter."

"Very true," King Jerom distractedly said. He had noticed what had happened to his bead and was trying to clean it off. I really had a hard time holding back the giggles that were threatening to break out from me, but the more food I had in my mouth, the easier it became.

"You should go with Princess Elizabeth Charles. I'm sure she'd enjoy the company, and she really shouldn't be riding out alone," Queen Vicky said with a glint in her eyes. I had a bad feeling about the kind of thoughts Queen Vicky was entertaining.

"I'd be pleased to," Prince Charles grinned at me. "That is, if you wouldn't mind, Princess." I really wanted to say that I would mind terribly, and that I far preferred riding by myself. I especially wanted to say something about how I didn't need someone to go along with me to protect me, and Prince Charles should know that! But I couldn't be rude to Queen Vicky. After all it had been her idea.

"Why would I mind?" I quipped, hoping that Prince Charles would catch the sarcasm in my voice. Unfortunately he either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Great!" He replied, turning back to his breakfast with a renewed vigor. I found I didn't have quite as much of an appetite.

"Have we told you about the ball we have planned?" Queen Vicky asked. I think she could tell that I wasn't really interested in eating anymore.

"No, I'm afraid you haven't," I answered, genuinely interested. I love balls! Dancing is almost as good as a sword fight. Plus, I get to show off my flair for fashion!

"How could we not have told you! Oh, we are slacking off in our duties," Queen Vicky scolded herself. "It will be at the end of the week. It should be a rather elegant affair. Queen Aurora and Queen White's grand-daughter's have accepted their invitations and are coming." I smiled and nodded. Two princesses, coming for the ball! That was terrible! They would only want to do the proper and acceptable things all the time. What would I do with them? Wait a minute . . . when they come they can distract Prince Charles, which means I won't be the center of his attention anymore. Yay!!! Now, if only I can last that long.

A/N: Sorry this chapter doesn't go very far. I have been swamped with things to do. I'm also sorry to say that I don't know how long it will be 'till I update again, but hopefully it'll be soon. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. You're the best!


	5. Riding and More!

I met Charles, I mean Prince Charles, in the stables after breakfast. I enjoyed watching his eyes bug out as he took in the pants I was wearing. You'd think he never saw pants or something. I had to clear my throat at least five times before he regained enough presence of mind to stop staring. He looked away, a definite tinge of pink coloring his cheeks. I smiled, fighting back my laughter.

"You don't have to go with me, you know," I told him, hoping he would take _my_ way out and that I would be able to enjoy some time alone.

"Nonsense, I said I would come with you, didn't I? Besides, I really would like to go riding with you." He glanced away from me, and quickly mounted his horse.

"Why? Why do you want to go riding with me?" I asked bewildered.

"How am I to judge how good of a match we could make if I don't go riding with you now and again. I am very fond of riding," he said with a smug little grin on his face. If he had not already mounted his horse, I think I would have punched him in the nose. As it was, I could only stare open mouthed at him.

"How good of a match we make! What a ridiculous notion. Why would you want to judge how good of a match we would make?" I couldn't understand it for the life of me. Was Prince Charles going to try to win _my_ hand in marriage?

"Well, I couldn't marry someone I wouldn't be happy with," he responded, seemingly oblivious to my astonishment.

"But why would you think of marrying me? I am everything you would never want in a future queen," I responded.

"We'll soon see, won't we," He stated matter-of-factly, and then he rode off, leaving me to catch up to him.

* * *

I spent the next few days trying to absorb the fact that Prince Charles was actually considering me as a prospective bride. I would have thought that challenging him to a duel would have killed all interest! Oh well, I'll just have to work hard to make him realize that we would never suit. It shouldn't be too hard, considering that he has that whole hero-complex-thing.

Before I knew it the two princesses had joined our party at the castle. It had given me a few days free of Prince Charles. I was so delighted about it I could have danced in circles all day long. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. The day before the ball, however, I found myself in the practice yard with a sword, working on my moves. I am quite sure that I scarred a few of the squires for life. Too bad. I had just gotten warmed up when Prince Charles entered. I almost groaned, but I knew that would attract his attention right away. Instead I started trying to blend into everything else, which was about as successful as hiding a rose in a bouquet of dandelions. Oh wait, did I say it was successful?

"Elizabeth!" I knew it was Prince Charles, but I just couldn't bring myself to face him. Unfortunately the knight I was working with saw fit to leave me right at that moment. Curses! "Elizabeth? What are you doing here?"

"I would think it would be obvious, your highness," I paused, and then on seeing the dumb look on his face, I added, "I am practicing for my next match."

"But I thought you were going to have me help you," he replied, an almost hurt look on his face. I had to work quickly to hide the amusement on my face, but I don't think it quite worked. Prince Charles was giving me a bit of a strange look.

"Well, I wouldn't mind your help sometimes, but I won't always wait for you to practice. If I did that I'd never accomplish anything." I didn't think about how that must have sounded to him until a huge smile appeared on his face. "I didn't mean that . . . I mean . . . oh help," I stammered out.

"You didn't mean what?" he asked, the smile subsiding to an amused grin.

"Nothing," I quickly said. "So, shall we get started?"

"Of course princess. What would you like to learn first?"

"Let me ask you, what do you think is my weakest point?" I really _was_ eager to improve my fighting. The better fighter I was, the less of a chance I would have of getting caught in a situation where I couldn't save myself.

"I'd have to say that, overall, your fighting is really good, but you don't put enough heart into it."

"I don't put in enough heart!? What do you mean by that?" I had never heard a more ludicrous thing in my life. I was totally devoted to fighting.

"I just mean that you started out strong, but in the end you were doing things more by rote rather than thinking about it. I don't think you were always this way, but maybe you just haven't been challenged enough, or had enough motivation lately to put your full energies into it," he said soothingly.

"I have plenty of motivation," I huffed. I was starting to regret agreeing to this.

"Than it must be that you haven't had much of a challenge," he replied, almost as if he were talking to himself instead of me. "You have to learn to keep your focus, even when you don't really need to. Puss in Boots always said that this is what separated the good fighters from the _great_ fighters."

"Well then, why don't you start teaching me how to keep my focus," I said flippantly.

"Alright," he said. He pulled me through the group, out of the practice yard, and into the trees that bordered the area. "Lesson one," he said as soon as we stopped. "Don't let yourself be distracted by anything around you." And with that he started attacking me. I barely had time to put up a shoddy defense. I stumbled and slowly fought my way back to a normal defense, but suddenly I found myself tripping on the roots of a tree. I fell backwards, and threw my hands behind me. I lost my sword, and as soon as I had landed, I felt his sword against my neck. The expression on his face was almost scary, so serious and cold. But then he drew back his sword and held out a hand to help me up.

"Lesson number two, always be sure to get a good look at the lay of the land before a fight. Always note places that may hold hazards for your fighting."

"Right," I replied, trying to catch my breath. And then I launched my attack, catching Prince Charles off guard. That is, I thought I would catch him off guard, but he was ready for everything I threw at him. I again found myself on the defense, fighting to keep his sword away from my throat. We ended up over by the trees, but this time it was Prince Charles who tripped on the roots. But he didn't fall backwards, oh no, he fell forwards, right onto me. Luckily he didn't hit my sword, or plunge his sword into me, but he did knock my breath out of me, and gave me a nasty bump on my head. I closed my eyes, trying to make my vision clear again, and then opened them to find Charles' surprised look. His face was so close. Only inches from mine . . . if he just leaned forward a little . . . NO! I can't pursue that train of thought. I must have hit my head harder than I thought.

"So, always note the places that may hold hazards, huh," I asked sarcastically.

"Yes," Prince Charles answered with a chuckle. "Otherwise you end up doing things like this."

"What, crushing beautiful princesses because you land on top of them, and then sit on them forever afterwards?"

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled getting up. There was a cracking sound of a breaking twig, and a girl showed up in the clearing. I had to assume it was one of the princesses that had lately joined us. Happily I had been able to avoid them for the most part, and so I couldn't yet recognize them on sight.

"Princess Rose," The prince exclaimed. "I wouldn't have expected to run into you out here." I could only assume that this was Queen Aurora's grand-daughter. I sat up and took a good look at her. Long blond hair, caught up perfectly into a coil at the nape of her neck, a pink, I have to wince at that,_ pink_ dress that seemed to bring out the blush in her cheeks and the startling violet color of her eyes. I had never seen anyone quite as beautiful as this girl. I suddenly felt very self conscience about the leaves that were in my hair, and the disheveled mess that I was at that moment. How must the comparison look? Princess Rose gave me a quizzical look, as if she couldn't quite figure out who I was. I'm sure it was the pants with the leaves in my hair that threw her off.

"You remember Princess Elizabeth, right?" Prince Charles asked her.

"Of course," Princess Rose said, a malevolent gleam in her eyes. "How could I forget about her. But my dear, whatever have you been doing? You look positively frightful!" I could have wrung her little neck for pointing that out. Not that I was trying to impress anyone, I just didn't like being pointed out as looking bad.

"We were just practicing some sword fighting," Prince Charles answered for me after a few seconds of silence. He then offered his hand to help me up. I glared at him, and then got up on my own. I reached behind me and started to work on getting the leaves out of my hair.

"Oh, yes, I've heard that _she_ does that sort of thing. It's positively dreadful if you ask me," Princess Rose came up to Prince Charles and leaned into his arm. "If a princess learns to defend herself, then she may never need a strong, handsome prince to come save her." I swear I could see her voice become sweeter, silkier, and more fake as her sentence went on.

"And we all know that that would be the end of the world," I said, sarcasm dripping on every word. Princess Rose shot me a nasty look and turned back to Prince Charles.

"I thought _we_ were going to spend the afternoon together Charles," she said, leaning closer to his ear, as if she were afraid of me overhearing, though I knew she must have been playing it up for my benefit.

"Oh, yes, so we were," Charles replied, a look of uncertainty directed towards me. Did he want me to get him out of it? Well, he better start dreaming, because he had a better chance of getting lightening to strike Princess Rose. "I think I had better change clothes first though. Would you ladies please excuse me?" And with that, the prince ran off as fast as his feet would take him. Princess Rose then turned to me, an evil look on her face.

"You better not even think of trying to move in on _my_ prince," she threatened, "because I will make sure to ruin your life if you do." I could have laughed. Me? Try to make a move on Prince Charles? As if!

"Don't worry," I replied. "He's all yours. Good riddance to the both of you." Princess Rose gave me one last evil glare and turned, following in Prince Charles' wake. I almost felt sorry for him. Princess Rose was definitely something else.

**A/N:** Yay!! I updated again! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the best! And Miss Piratess, you are definately on the right track there. Hee hee hee! I'll try to update again soon, but I make no guarantees about how soon it will be.


	6. The Ball

I spent the whole next day in my room. Nobody thought this was unusual, they just figured I was too busy getting ready for the ball that evening to do anything else. Really I was avoiding Prince Charles and the two princesses. I simply didn't want to have to deal with them today. I have to admit that I got very bored, though. You can only read about Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty and the like for so long before you feel the need to rip out your hair . . . or maybe that's just me.

Anyhow, I was able to escape my room at dinnertime, already dressed and ready for the party. I'm not sure where it came from, but Lucy picked out this incredible ice blue dress for me to wear, complete with glass slippers. I had just been thinking of what I could wear when Lucy appeared with it. I wonder if all the girls are getting this kind of treatment or if it's just me . . . I felt really awkward with the slippers at first, but I soon found that they magically shifted with my feet as I moved. It was great! And they were _so_ comfortable.

Dinner passed relatively uneventfully . . . that is if you don't count the glares I got from Princess Rose and (as I learned at dinner) Princess Raven. I could understand the glares from Princess Rose, but I couldn't figure out why Princess Raven should hate me already. We hadn't spent enough time together for her to hate me yet. Prince Charles was stuck between the two of them, and kept sending wishful looks at the empty chair beside me. I suppressed my amusement, and ignored him, for the most part.

After dinner we entered the ballroom and the Charmings greeted their guests. I worked on not being noticed by anyone, but was unsuccessful. Rose and Raven followed me around. Honestly, what was their problem? I wasn't trying to steal Prince Charles or anything. I even told Rose that he was all hers. But _no_, she had to threaten me some more.

"You really shouldn't try dancing with Charles at the dance tonight. You might have some sort of unfortunate accident . . . you know what I mean." Princess Rose was really getting on my nerves.

"Yeah," Princess Raven added, "Charles is definitely not your type, and you are most definitely not his type. He needs someone with more dignity and who behaves like royalty." I could just hear her adding in her mind, 'Someone like me' as she gave Rose a slanted look. I rolled my eyes.

"Please, like you guys have any dignity. Look at you. You're groveling and competing for a _dumb boy_! How is that dignified?"

"Well, at least we don't roll around in the mud and leaves!" Princess Rose shot at me. I almost laughed.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" I asked grinning. "Really, I expected better of you ladies." Princess Rose looked about ready to scream, and I could tell Princess Raven wasn't far behind. They both were giving me the evil eye, but when I just smiled wider, they flounced off, likely in pursuit of a nobleman who could appreciate their charms. That is if they had any charms.

Finally, after minutes of boredom as I was being avoided by everyone that the evil princesses could steer away from me, the guests all arrived, and Queen Vicky greeted us all together.

"Welcome everyone to our anniversary ball. As many of you know, this is the anniversary of the night Prince Charming the First held the ball where he met Cinderella. Ladies, as you know, all of you have been given glass slippers to wear this evening. It is a tradition, going back to Queen Cinderella's time that the ladies have glass slippers on for the anniversary of the night she met Prince Charming and they fell in love. As an added twist, this year we have decided to pick out your partner for the first dance with the slippers. The slippers have been enchanted to fit only the foot of their owner. Could I have all the ladies come to the center of the room and drop one of their shoes into a pile? Good, good. Now gentlemen, when the ladies have dispersed I want you to come pick a shoe out of the pile, and find your lady. If the shoe fits, you have found your partner!"

Pandemonium ensued as the "gentlemen" rushed to the center of the room to pick out a shoe, even though the women were still trying to get away from the pile. I laughed when one gentleman almost knocked over Princess Rose. Many of the men seemed to want to dance with me, because I tried on more shoes than I can remember. What were they thinking? Although I did enjoy some of the glares that Rose and Raven sent me when I still had a line of gentlemen, and they were waiting for someone to come find them.

Finally, the shoe fit, and I looked up at the man who I would be dancing with. He looked to be about my same age. He was fairly tall, with hair so dark I could have sworn it was black. His eyes were a surprisingly bright brown color, a lot like chocolate.

"My Lady, I do believe I have the pleasure of the first dance with you," he said, bowing gallantly to me.

I rolled my eyes a little and replied, "So you do kind sir. May I ask your name?"

"I am Prince Jack of the Beanstalk Kingdom," he replied, a proud look on his face.

"Prince Jack, I am Princess Elizabeth of Althena. I believe we are neighbors." I informed him.

"Why so we are. My, how are your parents, and your brother? I haven't seen him in five years, at least!" Prince Jack seemed a little too excited to hear about my family.

"My family's fine. My brother is currently training to take over the crown. How about your family? I heard that your mother wasn't feeling well."

"Yes, my poor mother is sick, but the doctors are sure they can cure her. She's not in too bad of shape." I smiled, remembering Jack's mother from years before. She really was one of the kindest women I had ever met. I soon found that the son did not follow suit.

The opening strains of the first dance urged us to the dance floor. I was eager to be twirling in the graceful forms of the dance, but Jack had two left feet. He didn't apologize for it though. Instead he accused _me_ of doing the wrong steps. I have never been as happy to leave the dance floor as I was that evening! I thanked Prince Jack for the dance, and before he could say anything I practically ran away from him, and out the doors into the gardens.

I ducked behind a bush and found a bench. I sat down and massaged my feet. They really hurt! Even glass didn't help much when your foot was stepped on constantly. I was able to hide for a few dances, but I knew that if I didn't reappear in the ballroom before too long, someone was bound to come looking for me. I slipped into the ballroom unnoticed in the middle of a dance. When it broke up I saw Prince Jack headed towards me. Did he want to dance with me again? Oh please don't let it be so!

I decided to try and avoid him, and slowly started backing up. I didn't get very far, though. I had just started moving a little more quickly when I backed up into a person. Oh dear! I lost my balance and was bracing myself to hit the floor, eyes closed and everything, when I felt a pair of arms snake their way around my waist, holding me up. I slowly opened my eyes, and who should I be staring at, but, you guessed it, Prince Charles. I hurriedly set myself aright on my feet and stepped out of his arms. The smile on his face was almost more than I could bear.

"What do you want?" I asked, my cheeks burning.

"What, no thank you? I save you from falling down, and possibly hurting yourself, and all I get is 'what do you want'? Tsk, tsk Princess. Where are your manners?" And through all this that smile managed to stay in place, unmarred by my glare.

I heaved a huge sigh and said, grudgingly, "Thank you, but don't think that I'm going to be eternally grateful or anything like that. Is there a reason you came over here, besides to taunt me?"

"Yes," he replied. "I wanted to ask you to dance with me." I was going to say no, honest I really was, but Prince Jack had managed to sneak up on me. Curses! Two annoying princes! What is a princess to do?

"Princess Elizabeth," Prince Jack interrupted, frowning at Charles, "could I engage you for the next dance?" I almost winced as I remembered the pain of the last dance, both to my feet and to my pride.

"I'm so sorry, Prince Jack, but I had just promised Cha- Prince Charles the next dance." I had to elbow Charles to keep him from protesting that I hadn't actually answered yet, and to get that look of amazement off of his face. You'd think I never did anything with him voluntarily . . . oh wait, that's right, I don't. Charles recovered quickly, and offered his arm to lead me to the dance floor.

"So, I take it your not so fond of Prince Jack," Charles said.

"Why would you say that?" I asked, pretending I had no idea what he was talking about.

"No reason, except that you've done nothing since you got here but avoid me as much as possible, which makes me think that you don't really like me. But there you were, able to escape my clutches by dancing with Jack, and yet you chose to dance with me. Leads one to believe that you don't like him so much," Prince Charles stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay, so I like you better than him. That doesn't necessarily mean anything," I replied.

"No, except that I was able to save you. Ha! So much for not ever needing to be saved!" Prince Charles giggled, yes I swear it was a giggle, and then the music began.

It was a waltz, so Prince Charles drew me rather close to him. Almost too close. As I put my hand on his shoulder and felt his arm go around my waist I felt tingles run up and down my spine. I raised my head up and our eyes locked for a brief moment, before I turned away blushing. Yes, I was blushing just from looking up at him. What was wrong with me? We danced together flawlessly, not one step out of place. I almost forgot that there were even other people in the room. All that existed in that moment was the two of us and the music.

When the dance ended it seemed perfectly natural that he should lead me off the dance floor and into the garden for a stroll. I didn't even try to protest. We were halfway through the hedge maze when I realized that we truly were alone. What was I thinking? I had been trying to avoid Charles all day, and here I was walking with him in the hedge maze, ALONE! I was just trying to figure out how I could get away when Charles stopped and turned to face me. The look on his face was incredibly intense, even more so than when we were sword fighting.

My breath caught, and I lost myself in his eyes, his incredibly cute grey eyes. Again we were only inches apart, I could feel his breath on my cheek. I leaned the tiniest bit closer, and before I could fully understand what was going on, he had closed the distance between our lips. I didn't know what to do! My first thought was to push him away, but _that_ only lasted for a millisecond. Kissing Charles was incredible! My insides melted, my bones disappeared, and I became a pile of goo on the grass. Ok, not literally, but that's what it felt like! Charles pulled back, smiling. I don't know what my face looked like. Probably surprise, or maybe amazement. How could I hate someone, but feel like _that_ when he kissed me?

"Elizabeth," Prince Charles said softly, "I have to tell you that you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I know that we haven't known each other very long, but I think I'm falling in love with you." My jaw dropped to the ground. Prince Charles, in love with me?! Was he nuts! Didn't he know that I didn't like him?

"What do you mean you're falling in love with me? You can't fall in love with me!" Tears threatened behind my eyes, making my vision blurry. This couldn't be happening, not now!

"Why can't I fall in love with you? Would that really be so bad? I'm not _that_ horrible," Charles replied. He tenderly caressed my cheek. And then I started crying. Not your pretty type of crying, but out and out sobbing.

I pushed Charles away from me, and started running. I didn't care where I ended up, as long as it was away from _him_. One of these days I'll learn that running aimlessly is always a bad idea, but that night I didn't care. I was confused, and unsure and somehow hurt. I just needed some time away from everyone and everything. I ran until I was out of breath, and collapsed under a tree. I cried and cried until I heard something behind me snap really loudly. I turned to face two of the dirtiest and ugliest men I had ever seen. I think that I ran straight into trouble. Oh dear.

**A/N:**I'm so sorry that it took so long to update! The disk I saved the stat of thechapter to didn't work right, so I wasn't able to work on the story while I was at home for Christmas. Plus, the internet on the computers at my house was being stupid. Anyhow, I should update more quickly next time. Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys!


	7. Yucky Bandits!

"Well, what 'ave we 'ere?" one of the men, the cleaner of the two, asked.

"We got us a girlie-girl," the other answered, as if they were playing a game. My heart leapt to my throat, and I looked around for a weapon, any kind of weapon.

"And what should we do with the girlie-girl? She's awfully pretty." I felt sick at the implication. I caught sight of a stick to my left, just out of reach. Meanwhile, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were advancing rather quickly. Just as they got within reach of me, I rolled in the direction of the stick. Unfortunately, I forgot about the fact that I was wearing a dress, and the dirtier thug was able to grab my skirt and prevent me from actually getting the stick. He roughly pulled me up, as the other pulled out some rope. I tried to scream, but for some reason I couldn't get any _noise_ to come out of my mouth. I had never been more terrified in my life, but I couldn't seem to do _anything_ to make it better. The cleaner thug made quick work of tying my hands behind my back.

"Now what?" the dirty one asked.

"We take 'er to the boss. He said 'e was lookin' to get a pretty girlie, so 'e'll be pleased with us, and maybe we'll get more rum tonight," the clean one replied.

"More rum!" they yelled together. The clean one grabbed my arm and started dragging me behind him, with the dirty one following both of us. I had never cursed dresses as much as I did that night. Stupid, impractical pieces of clothing. I've never understood why girls shouldn't wear pants all the time. Oh well, I'd just have to hope I could find some way to escape later.

We walked for what seemed like forever. I was cold, hungry, and exhausted. On top of _that_ my arms were sore, my legs were sore, and my feet had blisters on them. Dancing slippers are definitely not the right type of shoes for long periods of walking. I felt nothing but relief when we reached the camp of these two scallywags, and I could collapse by the fire. There were several more thugs at the camp, most even _dirtier_ than the dirty thug that had brought me here. Had they never heard of bathing? The dirty thug stayed by me while the clean one went further into the camp, presumably to find their boss. I tried to stay focused on where we were, and what was going on, but I quickly faded into oblivion. I fainted, right there by the fire, for the first time in my whole life. But I think I should be excused. After all, it's not every day that a girl gets abducted.

* * *

"So, this Princess Elizabeth, what does she look like?" I heard a deep voice ask.

"She's about this much shorter than I am, with long auburn hair, and green eyes. She is a complete monster, so don't trust anything she may say. I'd bet she'd say anything to get you to leave her alone, no matter how wild." I recognized this voice. It was kind of high, and sickly sweet. Where had I heard it before? And why couldn't I see anything? This was very bizarre.

"What type of things would she say?" the deep voice asked skeptically.

"Oh, things like she knows how to fight, or that she'll do a magic spell. She may even try to convince you that someone will come to save her, but I assure you that no one will. She's simply not wanted at the Charmings. She's just getting in the way of Prince Charles," the higher voice replied, nonchalantly. Who is that? And how would they know if I'm in the way at the Charmings' or not? Oh wait! It must be one of the Princesses! They're the only one's I'd be in the way of. Then it hit me. Princess Rose had hinted that if I danced with Charles she'd do something to get me back. I knew she was low, but this was just crazy! I didn't even want Charles for crying out loud! But then, I had danced with him, and then walked out to the garden with him. You know, for all I knew Princess Rose could have even seen us kiss. I wouldn't put it past her to spy on us. I brought a hand up to my face and rubbed my eyes. Oh, no wonder I wasn't seeing anything. My eyes had been closed this whole time. Sometimes I think I really am dumb.

"Alright then!" the deep voiced boomed, startling me, "we have a deal. I will kidnap this Princess for thirty pieces of gold." Thirty pieces of gold! Was that all I was worth! That's kind of depressing. I heard movement in the other room, the two of them making their goodbyes. I sat up quickly and looked around me. I was stuck in the back room of a tent. Weird, I didn't know that tents could have more than one room . . . well, now I know.

I tried to swing my feet over the edge of the cot I was on, but they couldn't make it. Someone had tied them to the bottom of the cot. How mean! I couldn't see the knots very well, as the room was dark, but I could feel that they were tied tighter than I'd ever be able to undo without a knife. I sighed and lied back down.

I was definitely in trouble. And I couldn't save myself either. I didn't know what to think. As much as I hated the idea of someone else coming to rescue me, _especially_ if that someone else was Prince Charles, I hated the idea of staying here even worse. I felt so helpless. So I did what any other helpless person does. That's right, I cried. You'd think I'd be all cried out, after crying for so long after kissing Charles, but this was not the case. At least this time I was crying silently.

The tent flap to this room opened, and in walked a man so covered in dirt, that I almost thought he was a moving tree trunk. He was big enough he could have been. He brought a lantern from the other room, and hung it from a hook on the ceiling. Then he looked over at me, and glared at my crying.

"Typical girlie," he growled, "crying like a baby." He shook his head and turned to face the small table on the other side of the room. He took off his weapons and laid them on the table. Then he turned back around to face me, moving the lantern closer to my cot. "So, who are you girlie? You're too fine dressed to be just any lady. If I've guessed right, and I nearly always do, you here are a princess."

I glared defiantly at him. I couldn't tell him who I was! He had just made a deal with Princess Rose to kidnap me! I knew that if he knew that I was Princess Elizabeth I would be under constant watch. And if I was under constant watch, how would I ever escape?

"Okay, then how about I guess who you are? Sound like a fun game? You have long reddish hair, and your eyes are a shocking shade of green. You're dressed like a princess, yet my men found you in the middle of the woods crying, just like you were a second ago, for probably no good reason whatsoever. And what does this all lead up to? Would you like to know dearie?" The giant leaned closer to me and whispered, "I think you just may be this Princess Elizabeth I hear so much about. What do you have to say about that?" He gave me a huge crooked smile and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest.

I sat up, to lie about who I was, when there was a commotion in the camp. Yells, and the sound of clanging steel filled the air. The huge man stood up, and moved to the door of the tent. He glanced out, then turned around and grabbed his sword off the table. "Sit tight girlie. I'll be right back," he said, rushing out of the tent.

I quickly sat up, and worked on moving the cot closer to the table. Mr. Giant-boss-man had left a couple knives there, and if I could reach them I could be free. I took several minutes, during which I frantically wished and prayed that no one would come in and stop me, but I managed to wobble to the table and grab the nearest knife. I cut the knots of rope holding my feet to the cot, then jumped up and ran out of the tent. I avoided all the people around me, not that they noticed me running along the edges of the fight towards the forest, what with all the fighting and bloodshed and all. But once I reached the forest, I wondered who had come to rescue me. After all, no one could even realize I was missing yet, could they? I peeked my head out of a bush, and looked around. There were several groups of men fighting, but the one fighting the evil-giant-boss seemed to be the leader. He looked really familiar. Oh my goodness! It was Prince Jack! But how did he know I was here? He couldn't have, could he? I decided it didn't matter, and hurried deeper into the forest.

**A/N:** Yay! More story done! Thank you my many readers and reviewers (especially those reviewers!). Enjoy it? If so don't be afraid to review, and don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions. Maybe they'll get worked into the story (nudge, nudge, hint, hint). Anyhow, that's all 'til next chapter.


	8. A Cottage?

The forest was creepy at night. All sorts of noises floated around, like leaves crunching, twigs snapping, hoots, growls, and others I couldn't identify. Plus I couldn't see the trail I was following very well. For all I knew I was headed in a bad direction. What if the trail just circled back around to the bandits I had just left? Nonetheless, I hurried on, just anxious to be away from the danger I had escaped from. As long as I wasn't captured by bandits I could figure out some way of getting out of the forest. . . I think.

Unfortunately, I was still worn out from the many other events of the day, and night, so I knew I couldn't go on much further. Just as I was ready to give up, and sleep right on the trail, I noticed a clearing with a little cottage in it. It looked fairly small, with a thatched roof and a wooden door, but the really amazing thing was that it still had a light on. I dragged myself up to the door and knocked. The door opened to reveal an older woman, gnarled and worn from the trials of her life, or so I assume.

"Well dearie, it's about time you made it. I've been expecting you for hours!" she burst out happily.

"Wh-what? How could you have been expecting me? I don't know you," I cried out.

"Dear, I wouldn't question those who come to save you if I were in your condition. Besides, you do know me. You just haven't seen me in, oh, I dare say 18 years. You were just a wee baby when I saw you last," she contradicted me.

"Who are you?" I asked, more confused than ever.

"Never you mind. Now hurry up and get in. There are some diabolical creatures out in these woods, and I'd prefer not to let them in," she said, grabbing my arm and jerking me through the door. She sat me on an armchair in front of the fire (which seemed far too nice for a cottage in the woods) and then hurried to the pot cooking over the fire. I rubbed my arm, aware of the bruise I would likely have from her grip, and looked around.

There were all sorts of crazy contraptions in this house. On one side of the room was a large box with little buttons on it and a glass surface facing the chair. The buttons all had words on them, like power, channel, and volume. I couldn't make any sense of what it might do. Over on the other side, there were two more boxes, one a square and one a rectangle.

The square one had a door that opened downward. It looked kind of like the doors to the ovens in the kitchen at my palace, but the rest of the contraption looked completely different. It had metal circles on the top, four of them. I don't know what one would do with metal circles on top of a box, so I studied the long rectangular box instead.

It had two doors with handles right next to each other. I glanced over at the woman who had pulled me in. She was occupied with the pot still, so I stood up, and went over to the rectangular box. I opened one of the doors, and a blast of cold air hit me. I shivered and looked at what was inside. It was food! And it was all frozen. How did this woman manage to have frozen food stuck in a box like this?

"Oh dear, I should have known you'd go poking around. You always were a curious one," I heard from behind me. I jumped away from the frozen box and turned around guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be poking around," I knew I should have stopped there, but I had to know what these boxes she had were for. "Could you tell me how you are able to trap the cold in this box?" I gestured to the box behind me.

"Well, I don't think I could explain it in terms you could understand. It's not technically supposed to exist yet." I shook my head in confusion. Not supposed to exist? "It's called a refrigerator. And that one there," she pointed to the box beside it, "is called a stove. It works kind of like the ovens and fires that you have in your kitchens at home, though I find it to be more reliable and convenient."

"Where did you find these devices?" I asked.

"Oh, a little place called America, but that won't exist for some time either, so I really shouldn't mention it," she said, slightly mischievously.

"America?" I was now thoroughly confused. Too many things just didn't make sense here.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I already have supper ready, so dig in." I noticed two bowls of soup sitting on the table. I hurried over to eat. It was the best soup I had ever had.

"What type of soup is this?" I asked. I had never tasted anything like it.

"It's called Minestrone. Just a little recipe I picked up from Italy," the old woman replied over her shoulder.

"Italy? Where's Italy?" I asked.

"Umm, just forget that I mentioned it, won't you?" She replied, sitting down at the table. She calmly started in on her soup as I just stared at her.

"What are you?" I asked. How could she know of stuff and have stuff from places that didn't exist. It was absurd. It was impossible! She sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but I guess you do have a right to know," she said, fiddling with her spoon. "I'm your Fairy Godmother."

My mouth dropped to the floor. "My what?" I cried. When did I get a Fairy Godmother?

"Now dear I know you're shocked, but just think for a minute. You had to know that you had a Fairy Godmother. And that I would help you in your times of greatest need," she said soothingly.

"You- you're _MY_ Fairy Godmother?" I couldn't believe it. How could my parents keep something like this from me?

"Oh dear. So I take it you weren't told about me. That is just like your mother. Wouldn't want you to get a big head about it. See, your mother and father are my dear friends, so I'm really only your Fairy Godmother as a favor to them. Strictly speaking we fairies don't tend to do the Godmother bit so much anymore. We prefer to keep to ourselves." The old woman motioned for me to keep eating my soup. After a few minutes she continued talking. "I must say that this is quite a large amount of trouble you've gotten yourself into. I don't know how you managed it. Bandits and thieves, evil princes and princesses- it's quite a mess."

"Evil what? Wait- are you saying that Rose and Raven really are evil?" I burst out. Ha ha! I knew it!

"What? Rose and Raven? No, no, not them. Well maybe Rose, but that's not who I was talking about."

"Then who were you talking about?" I asked puzzled.

"Princess Vasilisa. She's always fancied Prince Jack, but he seems to have taken a shine to you. Pity. Watch out for that doll of hers darling. It's dreadful." The old woman delicately wiped her mouth with a napkin and started cleaning up her place at the table.

"Doll? What's so bad about a doll? And why does it matter if Prince Jack likes me? I don't like him." I asked, twisting my body to follow the old woman's movements.

"This doll is full of evil magic ready to do the girls bidding. It's been in her family for generations. And you watch out for Prince Jack too. He's as evil as Vasilisa!" The woman put the dishes into a box by the sink with racks to hold the dishes. Strange. Wasn't she going to wash them? She seemed to follow my gaze because the next thing she said was, "This washes the dishes for me dear. Are you done eating?"

Without waiting for an answer she took my bowl away and put it in the box too. "Prince Jack is evil? I knew it!" I said triumphantly. "Stupid Prince and his stupid dancing."

"Now if you were smart dear, you would climb into that bed over there and get to sleep. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow," the old woman said shaking her finger. I looked in the direction she motioned, and instead of the chair I had been sitting on earlier, there was a bed. I was too tired to even try to question how it had gotten there. I gratefully climbed in and shut out the world. Far too much had happened today. I needed a break.

**A/N:** Poor Elizabeth. She's in way over her head. Oh well! Don't forget to review because I love reviews, and I promise I will update again soon, although maybe not soon enough for some of you. See ya next time!


	9. Back to the Castle!

I woke up surrounded in a warm cocoon of blankets. For a few seconds I thought it was just a dream. The ball had never taken place, I had never kissed Charles, and the bandits were just figments of my imagination. Too bad I hadn't met my Fairy Godmother though. She actually seemed pretty cool. Then I opened my eyes to the odd box with all the buttons on it. It wasn't a dream! Yay! Wait, maybe it should be a "boo" instead. I don't know. I sat up and looked around. My Fairy Godmother was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious. Pancakes!

"It's about time you woke up dear," my Fairy Godmother said.

"What do you mean 'It's about time'? It can't be any later than eight or nine!" I complained, standing up.

"Yes, but its eight o'clock on the second day you've been sleeping," she replied offhandedly.

"WHAT!" I cried. How could I have slept that long? I hurriedly looked around for my clothes (don't ask me how I got into pajamas, but somehow I did).

"Now, now, calm down. You still have plenty of time to get back to the castle. Trust me, it's not going anywhere soon." I slumped back down on my bed and dumped my head into my hands. Charles and his family must be worried sick. I felt so guilty. How could I have slept for two days? "Here, come eat some breakfast," my Fairy Godmother said, placing a plate of pancakes on the table.

I shook my head slightly, and moved to the table, devouring the pancakes. They were very good, but then I'm a bit biased, because pancakes are one of my favorite foods. As my stomach ceased it's mumbling I became really worried about having been gone for so long. "Umm, Fairy Godmother?" I hesitantly asked.

"Call me Susan," she called back.

"Susan . . . umm, how do I get back to Prince Charles' castle. I need to get going. His family's probably worried sick about me," I asked, and added in my mind, 'Plus Charles is going to feel really bad because I disappeared right after he kissed me.' But I didn't want to think about that too much. After all, I needed to explain to him that it wasn't his fault I went missing, without making it appear that I cared for him _that way_. Oy_, that_ would be a long conversation.

"Oh don't worry about that," Susan said merrily, "You'll be back in no time once I show you the way, but there are a few things I should probably tell you, before I turn you lose on the world once more." She threw me a smile over her shoulder.

"Ok," I said, playing with the extra syrup on my plate. Susan sat down across the table from me, and folded her hands on the table.

"See, since your parents never told you that you have a fairy godmother, you don't understand how this all works. Whenever you are in trouble, or just need a friend to listen to your problems, you can call out to me, and I'll come and help you."

"How do I call you? Susan , help? Or what?" I asked.

"'Susan, help!' will work just fine," Susan said brightly. "I'm so glad you didn't try to make a rhyme. I hate rhymes!" She shivered to emphasize her point.

I smiled weakly back at her, and then turned to gather my clothes again from the bed. "Is that all? Can I go now?" I asked impatiently.

"Yes, yes you can go. But remember what I said about Vasilisa and Jack. And don't hesitate to call for help. You may need it sometime soon with those two about." I quickly dressed and Susan led me outside and pointed to a path just to the right of her house. "There lies your way. Don't stray of the path or you'll get lost." Then she pulled me into a hug. "Goodbye dear. It was great to see you again."

"Yeah, it was great to finally meet you," I said, a little dazed by the hug. I turned away from the house and started on the path. A little ways down I remembered that I never thanked Susan for feeding me and all, but when I turned back the cottage had disappeared. Fairies! Honestly, couldn't they keep things in one place? I started down the path again, this time a little discouraged.

I knew Charles and I were going to have to talk about that night. It was unavoidable. But, what would I tell him about that kiss? I mean, it couldn't happen again! I didn't love him, or anything like that. It should never have happened in the first place. It's just that things had happened so quickly . . . I hadn't known how to respond or . . . but it had felt nice, so warm and safe, but also exciting! Oh! I didn't know what to think. I mean I wasn't in love with Charles . . was I? No, I couldn't be.

I stopped short when I noticed Charles' castle right in front of me. That was fast. How did I get here so quickly? Then I remembered that I had followed Susan's path, which was likely enchanted. Thank goodness! I hurried towards the castle, with no thought except freshening up and finding Charles and his parents. Or maybe I should do that the other way around? Just as I stopped to debate which to do first in my head, I heard a shout from my left.

"Elizabeth! Thank goodness you're safe! We've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?" I didn't actually have the time to turn towards Charles, because he ran up to me and picked me up in the tightest hug I have ever had in my entire life. I felt like he was bending my bones.

"Well, I guess that means you're happy to see me," I said, not knowing how to reply.

"Of course I'm happy to see you. Where have you been the last few days? Was it . . . I . . . was it because of me?" Charles asked, ending in a voice barely louder than a whisper. He was so close to me. Almost as close as he had been when we . . . well, you know!

"No, no. I . . . it wasn't you. I just needed to think, and then . . . well, there were some bandits, and Prince Jack, and my Fairy Godmother, and well, things just didn't work out right, you see . . ." I was rambling and I knew it. I peered up at Charles to see his mouth hanging wide open.

After a few splutters he said, "Bandits! What did they do? And how did you see Prince Jack? He's been here for the past several days. He's worried that you've been missing. And how does a fairy play into all of this?"

I considered how to answer this, but instead of really answering I just asked, "Can I please go change and bathe before I answer all your questions? I can feel the dirt in a layer over my skin." I know, it was a low tactic, but I needed more time to put together the story I would actually tell Charles. I couldn't tell him everything, or he would obviously freak out.

"Of course! I'll tell the servants to start your bath right now," Charles said, and then he kissed my hand. Oh no! He definitely got the wrong message out of my rambling! This is bad, _very bad_!

**A/N:** I'm so sorry that its taken so long for me to update! I had a very serious case of writers block, so hopefully it won't happen again. Please forgive me! And be sure to leave me a little note, called a review. They make me very happy!


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